13.9.1: Opium of the People
Karl Marx, an avowed atheist who believed that the existence of God was impossible, set the tone for conflict theorists with this statement: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world…. It is the opium of the people” (Marx 1844/1964). Marx meant that for oppressed workers, religion is like a drug that helps addicts forget their misery. By diverting thoughts toward future happiness in an afterlife, religion takes the workers’ eyes off their suffering in this world, reducing the possibility that they will overthrow their chains by rebelling against their oppressors.
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